INTRO: 1. ILL. A young boy at the beach in his swimming trunks walks up to a lady sitting in the shade of an umbrella and asked her. “Do you believe in God?” Kind of taken by surprise she responded “Yes” “Are you a christian?” She responded “Why, Yes.” “Do you go to church every Sunday?” “Yes I do.” “Do you read your bible and pray every day?” She confidently responded “Yes, I do.” With that the little boy smiled smugly and held out a shiny quarter and asked “Will you watch my quarter while I play?”
a. Like this little boy, the world will never trust us with their souls until they are convinced that we are genuine Christians?
2. There are five things that the world doesn’t need any more of.
a. Christians who pretend to be something their not.
b. Christians who live to please each other.
c. Christians who are plastic, pretentious and insincere.
d. Christians who live carelessly. (flippant about their faith)
e. Christians who cut themselves off from the ‘real’ world.
3. But I’ve got good news for you today. We can be the real deal… our faith can be genuine without us being pious, pretentious and condescending.
4. Jesus was impressed with this man Nathaniel because he found a man who was ‘real.’
Vs. 47 Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and saith of him, Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!
a. “Behold an Israelite indeed” in other words what the Pharisees could only profess to be, Nathaniel was demonstrating as a reality in his life.
b. “In whom is no guile” guile is translated as deceit, fakery, subtlety, or facade.
c. Nathaniel was true, lived righteously with nothing to hide.
d. Jesus himself testified to the genuineness of this man’s character.
e. I want Jesus to stamp my life as ‘genuine.’
5. Nathaniel’s response was predictable… “When knowest thou me?” or How do you know me, from where do you know me?
a. Jesus let him know that when nobody saw him, he was seeing him.
b. His testimony about Nathaniel bears witness to the fact that Jesus not only saw him, but saw in him.
c. Jesus sees beyond what others see.
d. Jesus see us as we really are.
c. Jesus sees beyond the masks that we present to others.
6. There are two dangers in living behind masks.
a. You might start believing them.
b. Others might start believing them.
7. But notice if you will the instant promise made to this ‘real’ disciple called Nathaniel.
Vs. 50, 51 Jesus answered and said unto him, Because I said unto thee, I saw thee under the fig tree, believest thou? thou shalt see greater things than these. And he saith unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man.
a. It appears that being ‘real’ removes the hindrances in our life to see great things happen in our lives.
b. As we can see throughout the word, Jesus has to first bring us to a point of self-honesty before he can give us what he so desires to give us.
I. GET REAL WITH JESUS
a. The revelation that Jesus made that he had seen Nathaniel under the Olive tree was far more than merely that he had seen him in a specific location.
b. Olive trees in gardens was a favorite place for many to retire to pray and meditate.
c. While the Pharisees where ‘performing’ their prayers in the streets to be seen, this man of God was finding himself a private place to get alone with God.
d. Jesus was in fact saying “I knew you in your prayer closet, in that intimate private place where you come to talk with me.”
e. Nathaniel could get real with Jesus because he had been doing it for years.
f. Genuine prayer will remove the masks that stand between a real faith and a mask of religiosity.
A. MASKS HINDER INTIMACY WITH HIM
1. You, like Nathaniel, can feel right at home with Jesus… because he already knows you better than any friend ever has.
2. Yet, for many of us, we are living a guarded life even with Jesus.
3. It’s time to give up the sanctimonious lingo, the Sunday morning religiosity and get real with Jesus.
4. The insecure often hide behind masks because they don’t like what they see, and are afraid to let anyone else in.
5. Intimacy is revealing who we really are… face fear of rejection, vulnerability.
6. But O, the release when we realize that the one who knows us best, loves us most.
B. THE MASKS WHERE JESUS’ FIRST TARGET
1. Jesus never liked masks, he always dealt with them first thing.
John 2:25 And needed not that any should testify of man: for he knew what was in man.
2. Jesus understands better than anyone that not everyone is what they seem.
3. He removed the Pharisee’s masks to reveal a lifeless religion.
4. He removed the rich young ruler’s mask to reveal a man bound by greed.
5. He removed the masks of the mob that held stones to reveal a crowd of sinners.
6. He removed the masks of the woman at the well to reveal an adulterer hungry for more.
7. Not doubt Nathaniel had seen the religiosity of the Pharisees and it had made him sick.
8. Know he knew without a doubt that God sees beyond our ‘religious airs.’
9. Nathaniel wanted more than surface sanctity, he wanted a real relationship with Jesus.
10. You’ve got to lose the masks if you want a real encounter with Jesus.
C. THE MASKS LOCKS JESUS AND HIS HEALING OUT
1. Jesus revealed so much great thing he wished to show Nathaniel that he couldn’t much of the people of that day… because the pretense was gone.
2. When the masks go we can admit our pains and our needs.
3. When the masks go we can begin again, but this time with Christ.
4. Nathaniel realized that the real matter wasn’t a matter of action, but a matter of the heart.
5. His heart was open to Jesus, because he was in pursuit of a faith that doesn’t merely change your actions, but changes your heart.
6. Nathaniel understood that God sees our motives firsts.
7. Time we move our focus from what others think and sees to what God knows about us.
8. It will change your life.
9. It will open your life to the great things God has in store for you.
10. It’ll release you from the bondage of legalism to the liberty of a relationship with Jesus.
11. Nathaniel was quick to respond and accept Jesus because his masks had been removed and he had come to know him in prayer years before.
II. GET REAL WITH OURSELVES
a. Greatest lie you can ever tell anyone is the lie you tell yourselves.
b. Time to stop ignoring who we really are, so that we can totally give ourselves to God.
c. When Jesus said that Nathaniel was without guile, he was not saying that he was without fault or without sin.
d. It is obvious from earlier verses that he had some flawed misconceptions, some prejudiced views about Nazareth and about Jesus.
e. I believe that what was is in Nathaniel was a spirit that was willing to be changed and molded by God.
f. Nathaniel had learned how not to live flawlessly, but blamelessly.
g. As soon as he would discover wrong in his life, he was quick to remedy it and submit to God.
A. LIVING ‘REAL’ IS LIVING CHRIST-CENTERED.
1. It’s when we become more concerned with God’s image than ours.
2. Living not so others can pat us on the back, but that God would receive the glory.
3. Blameless living seeks God’s glory in our lives.
4. Masks try and make us look better, while bringing dishonor to the one we serve.
ILL. When David was caught in his sin by the prophet Nathan he cried because he had brought dishonor to God’s name.
5. Pride is concerned with what everyone thinks of me…Righteousness is concerned with what God thinks of me.
6. Living real means that I’m not concerned about the opinions of others as much as I am about the opinion of God.
B. LIVING ‘REAL’ IS LIVING HONESTLY WITH GOD.
1. Recognizing our faults without denying or defending them.
2. World isn’t looking for perfect people but those who know how to deal with their faults.
3. It’s this attitude that opens our lives to the constant changing God brings.
4. This never means that we’re proud of our faults.
5. Our masks and hypocritical spirit causes us to make excuses for our faults and failures.
6. Our masks will cause us to defend them in front of others, when a sincere heart will just give them to God.
ILL. We see it in Simon Peter when Jesus revealed to him that he would deny him three times. We see the defensiveness, the denial and then we see the failure. It wasn’t until he failed that he was willing to get real with Jesus.
7. What will it take to lose your masks.
C. LIVING ‘REAL’ IS LIVING SINCERELY
1. Nathaniel was sincere about serving God.
2. Sincere living is being serious about our faith without being uptight about it.
3. Sincere living is a faith that is lived simply and obediently.
4. Sincere living is living rightly no matter who you’re with.
ILL. A young handsome slave was once asked by a man looking to buy him “If I buy you, will you be honest?” To which the slave responded “I’ll be honest whether you buy me or not.”
5. Sincere living is a guarded faith… not a gullible faith.
6. Some criticize his challenge to Jesus’ validity, but I believe it reflects the high value he had put on his faith and relationship with God.
III. GET REAL WITH THE WORLD
a. Nathaniel stood out from the religious in his time because he was ‘real.’
b. ‘Real’ christians shine and the world takes note.
c. Researches have found that in this upcoming generation that has been dubbed “Generation X” one of the qualities that is most looked for in religious leaders is the ability to be ‘real.’
d. This world doesn’t need a stain-glass Jesus, but a ‘real world’ Jesus that is relevant to the challenges they face day by day.
e. I thank God for genuine christians who was real and shaped my life.
f. If you’re living a Sunday morning faith… you’re not fooling everybody.
ILL. A rather pompous-looking deacon was endeavoring to impress upon a class of boys the importance of living the Christian life. "Why do people call me a Christian?" the man asked. After a moment's pause, one youngster said, "Maybe it's because they don't know you."
A. BE REAL—BE GRACE-FILLED
1. Self-righteousness and piety makes the world sick.
2. But, the bible tells me that grace leaves no room for boasting, for prideful strutting around.
3. We have not real right to promote ourselves above the sinner.
4. We’re not reaching down, we are reaching over.
5. When Peter preached on the day of Pentecost he didn’t address them as sinners, but as “Fellow Jews.” (NIV)
6. Why? Because he had just weeks before fallen and was in need of grace.
B. BE REAL—BE HUMAN
1. No matter what some faith-teachers would have you believe, we are not immune to sickness and hardship as believers.
2. Don’t paint an unrealistic picture to those around you.
3. Let them see the hardship, but let them also have a front row seat in seeing God take you through it victoriously.
4. No one seeks out a guide from someone who has never been through what they are going through.
C. BE REAL—BE COMPASSIONATE
1. Jesus was called “a friend to sinners.”
2. Sinners are not the enemy… merely victims of sin.
3. Few strangers lead people to Christ… but friends do.
4. Don’t be afraid to let people see who you really are.
5. If you are transparent before Jesus, you don’t have to worry about being transparent before men.
ILL. Do you know how to tell the difference between a real diamond and a fake. The real diamond can cut glass. The difference is in the mark they make.
6. Are you making a mark for Jesus Christ in your world?
CONCLUSION: It’s time to get real today. It’s time to remove the masks and let Jesus deal with who we really are.
